Heroes of the Storm has officially rolled out the first update of 2025, featuring some balance changes, bug fixes, and the return of Brawl Mode. Players can enjoy these special game modes on a rotating, biweekly basis in Heroes of the Storm right now, starting with the Lunar Rocket Racing minig

Now, when it was stated that it was a multiplayer only affair, I had decided to steer clear. People, for the most part, suck. I tend to grow bored or annoyed with these types of games. Still, I found myself in love with another game that might as well be sold as multiplayer only and am still putting the hours into it. Coupled with the universal hype and love that Overwatch has received from every outlet, and every person I have spoken to who has played it, it looked like I would be remiss to miss out. Getting in on the ground floor seemed like a great idea. After having put a bit of time into it, I find myself primarily grateful that I didn't handle our review. The mediocre score I would have given it would have rendered me Internet Enemy #1.

Rather, there’s a more pressing issue that has become increasingly more important as we enter (or instead, have already entered) a new era of video games that evolves from out its infancy as but a mere medium or a hobby…and transforms into an industry, a business. And that’s self-awareness; the notion that, perfectly fine as it is to show pride, professionalism and posterity as a creator/director/manager/whoever (be it for consumers, audiences or share-holders alike) it’s just as important to take your eye just that little bit out of the epicentre and look beyond the stained-glass windows to your splendid ivory towers. To see how the industry might be perceived-come-translated across to the community. No matter the intensity. Oh yes…there are obviously so many other matters to attend to such as…perhaps…not treating consumer bases like docile piggybanks; not deliberately miscuing information; not letting every nit-picking, social media-sappy, correctness-avid serial complainer dictate the who, what, when & why of your games.

When developer Pixel Titans released a new trailer for upcoming nostalgia-bleeding, fast-paced shooter STRAFE, safe to say what they unveiled could be regarded as material that goes against the tide of contemporary "gameplay" promotion, trailers and all. The decision to take its blocky, pixelated aim at this thematic and quote-unquote cinematic direction modern games have often approached and blindly lavished over worked wonders for two completely opposing and quite ironically-positioned reasons. One: the developers are clearly confident enough to add a an extra flair of presentation and direction to their still ongoing project. And two: they’re more than willing to be the butt to their own joke -- opening up the flood-gates guarding not just the industry they’re a part of, but more prudently, of themselves as but one more studio in a grand sum of thousands.

Speaking of positioning, Widowmaker's two core abilities allow her to either get to a new position quickly, or protect the one she's currently holding down. The first of these abilities, her Grappling Hook, can be aimed using the reticle, and will quickly propel her towards the surface it's fired at. Not only is this awesome for quickly reaching positions above the playing field, but it also works wonders when you're looking to get out of a jam. Widowmaker's second ability, the Venom Mine can be fired with an arc, and deals damage over time when triggered. This toxic gas mine isn't just great for crowd control, though. If you've ever played a military shooter that allowed you to place claymores behind you while you snipe, you'll be happy to know that the Venom Mine can have a similar effect. Finally, her ultimate, Infra-Sight, allows your entire team to track the positions of all enemies in real-time, instantly countering any flankers and Ana healing Tips generally setting you up for success.

Now, it is possible to instantly balance the game and remove these annoyances: don't allow duplicate characters on one team in quick play. Were players forced to choose someone else, the balance and counterbalance that all of the characters bring would suddenly become pertinent. The ability of a team sectioning off and controlling the entire map with one character type is removed. Suddenly, players don't have to choose someone for the express purpose of knocking out one type of hero, and can instead work as a team (read: what the game is supposed to be about).

Without a doubt, Zarya is the Overwatch hero that most players seem to completely forget about. This is actually pretty hilarious considering that she's one of the most rewarding and useful characters on the entire roster. Add in the fact that a lack of Zarya players means that there's a general lack of experience at countering her attacks and abilities, and you have all the makings of a potential monster until the rest of the player base figures her out.